Midnight Rumors
by aiyumi
Summary: Persona 5 AU. Midnight was the time the Phantom Thieves ran amok. And according to rumors, it was also the time the sky might turn green, their school might transform into a scary place, and monsters might roam the streets. Makoto Niijima didn't believe any of that... until that night. Makoto and MC oneshot, Dark Hour in P5.


A/n: this takes place before Makoto Niijima joins the Phantom Thieves. Ever since I read the Persona 5 character profiles, I've been wondering about the contrast between the righteous Student Council President and the delinquent protagonist. Then, I had a sudden surge of inspiration, and this little story was born. I took a lot of liberties with the setting since we still have too few info about P5. As of the moment of this writting (beginning of June 2016), we barely know the names of the party members and their Personas, and one party member's still missing. We still don't know how the Palace works, how the Phantom Thieves steals things and how it affects the real world, or whether normal people are able to see the transformed school and the Persona-related stuff etc. So, I decided to borrow the Dark Hour and some other elements from P3 instead. I wanted to use the official name for the protagonist, but since we don't know that yet, I had to take liberties with his name as well. In this story, he's named Kazushi Miura.

The usual "gotchas": I'm bad at descriptions, and English isn't my primary language.

* * *

Midnight Rumors

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Persona and all related characters are property of Atlus, Inc. Any trademarks that may be referenced in this fan fiction are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Makoto Niijima had had a rough day. The pile of paperwork in Student Council didn't seem to decrease no matter how many forms she filled. When she thought her work was finally over, she was called to stop a fight between some misbehaving students. Since many of Syujin High's students were delinquents under the school's rehabilitation program, those incidents were fairly common, and as the Student Council President, her duty was to enforce discipline into those immature heads of theirs.

"Quit picking fights and causing trouble!" She scolded the group of students. "You are in a rehabilitation program for a reason. You must change your attitude if you want to turn a new page and become better adults! Have you ever stopped to think about what you're doing with your future?!"

Among the group were two peculiar people. One was a fat repeater from the first year, known to have been causing trouble ever since he came to that school, and the other was Kazushi Miura, the transfer student from class 2-D. The latter seemed to always be so quiet and calm. Even though Makoto didn't think much of him at first, appearances were deceiving. Just a few weeks after his arrival, he had already been involved in trouble, and Makoto soon concluded she had to be wary of him.

It was already late and Makoto wanted to get that issue over with as fast as possible. "I'll only give you a verbal warning this time, but you won't have the same luck if you misbehave again. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Everyone chorused, except for the quiet student, who just nodded.

It was past six P.M. when Makoto left the school. To her annoyance, she remembered she had agreed to meet with one acquaintance of hers to borrow a book. She headed to the office where said person worked, but the receptionist said he was busy and told her to wait. One hour passed, and the man still hadn't shown up. Makoto began to suspect she would still have to wait for a while, and decided to use that time to do her homework. By the time the man came out of his office and lent her the book she needed, it was past ten o'clock, and it was raining. _Just my luck,_ Makoto thought.

Half an hour later, Makoto was on her way home. The rain was strong and her umbrella was barely enough to protect her from it. She was tired and hungry... and she remembered that no one would be home for a few days, and that there was nothing in the fridge. She would need to find somewhere to eat.

Makoto passed the restaurants around, but it was late and all places were already closed. Maybe her only hope would be to drop by a convenience store and buy a bento... Makoto grimaced. She had had a rough day, and her stomach deserved better than convenience store bento!

Her eyes glimmered when she saw lights coming from one of the stores. It was a cafe. Its sign read "Cafe Leblanc," and it was still open! If she could buy something to eat and stay inside the store until the rain let up, it would be great! ... But when she arrived at the door, a man from the staff came and stopped her.

"Sorry, but we're about to close for the day."

"Ah! But I haven't eaten anything since lunch break!" Makoto protested. Her hopes of taking shelter in the store were gone, but she still refused to give up. Maybe she could at least get some food. "Please, just a takeout sandwich, or-"

"It's already late, and well past closing time," the man said irritably. "Just go to a convenience store or someth-"

"Let her in." A calm voice cut through the air and interrupted the man. "I'll handle her order."

When Makoto turned in the voice's direction to thank the person, she found herself looking at Kazushi Miura, the ever so quiet student from class 2-D, and her eyes widened in surprise. Since he rarely spoke in her presence, she hadn't familiarized with his voice enough to be able to recognize it.

"Would that one do?" Miura pointed at a fried chicken sandwich on the wall's menu.

"Huh?" Makoto was distracted trying to associate his voice to his appearance, and his question out of the blue didn't quite register in her head.

"A sandwich, you said." He clarified.

"You were listening? No... no, I mean, yes. A sandwich..." Makoto's gaze finally found its way to the picture on the menu he had pointed at. "Y-yes, that one'll do."

He seemed totally undisturbed by her word-stumbling. "Anything to drink?"

"A... coffee, please."

He nodded, beckoned her to come inside, turned around and went to do his work.

Makoto closed and shook her umbrella before entering and sitting at a table. The place seemed to be empty. She was the only customer inside, and she could make out both Miura's and the other man's voices.

"Hmm, her uniform... same school as you, I see." The man noted mischievously. "Trying to look courteous and make a move on her, huh?"

Makoto narrowed her eyes at the man's comment. She hoped it wasn't the case.

"Weren't you in a hurry or something? If you aren't going to help me, then please go away." That was the most Makoto had heard the quiet student say until now.

"Alright, alright..." The man turned away, opened his own umbrella and left the store.

Makoto glanced at Miura when he passed her and went to the back of the store. She couldn't help but continue trying to associate his voice to his image. Sure enough, his voice didn't project much, typical of a timid person. But Makoto noticed something peculiar, different from most timid people. At least until now, Miura hadn't stuttered or stumbled over his words. His voice was just quiet. It was as though he were afraid of letting his voice out freely.

Makoto waited as Miura talked to the staff in the kitchen. After a few minutes, he came carrying a tray with a fried chicken sandwich and a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," she said when he placed her order on the table.

"The others here aren't incompetent like that, just so you know." He was certainly referring to the man who had (un)welcomed Makoto earlier.

"Well, you certainly aren't." Makoto spoke between bites of her sandwich. "You're defending the other workers in front of a customer. I see that you seem to care about the store's reputation. And at least to fulfill my order, you worked efficiently. If you maintain the same level of efficiency when dealing with customers in general, then I can say you work well." That was commendable for a delinquent often involved in trouble at school. And he had helped her, too. She only hoped that the man was wrong and Miura wasn't trying to make a move on her.

"Did you come here to lecture me?"

"Huh?" Only then Makoto realized she had entered "Student Council President mode." She had the tendency to enforce discipline and talk about people's qualities and faults, and her speech often came out sounding like a lecture, even when she didn't intend it to. This seemed to annoy some people. But Miura's facial expression didn't change. It was the same calm and collected expression as always, and Makoto couldn't tell if he was annoyed at her or what. "Uh, no. I'm saying that you seem to be doing a good job, and that I give you some credit for that."

Once again, he showed no reaction, as though earning some respect from her didn't mean anything to him. He simply left Makoto to eat her sandwich and went to take care of other things.

The way the other man had treated Makoto earlier had left a bad impression on her, and she had begun to have second thoughts about that shop, but she had to admit that both the sandwich and the coffee were good. Once she had finished her "dinner," Miura came with the bill and accompanied her to the counter for her to pay it. Afterward, the attendant that processed her order packed his things and left the store. Despite the rain, more people from the staff filed out of the store as well. That reminded Makoto that it was well past closing time.

"Don't you need to go home, too?" She asked Miura.

"I live here."

"Oh." Makoto's mouth opened slightly.

"I can stay here as long as I work," he added.

"I see..." Makoto cracked a smile. Most students in Syujin's rehabilitation program were troublemakers, and she worried that they might be engaged in bad activities... like stealing. She began worrying even more after she heard some disconcerting rumors. Specifically, the ones regarding those "Phantom Thieves" that were on the news, a dangerous group of masked people that ran amok in the city stealing things at midnight. The rumors said that those thieves were actually students from Syujin High School. Makoto refused to believe those rumors, but it was sad to think that her fellow schoolmates might be engaged in such activities. At least Miura seemed very dedicated, and seemed to be on the right track. "Ah!" Makoto suddenly jolted. "I have to go. You have to close the store and I kept holding you up! I'm sorry!"

"You may stay until the rain lets up."

"Huh? ... Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I'll be the one closing the doors anyway."

"... Thank you," Makoto said in relief.

Both teenagers took a seat at different tables and silently waited for the rain to stop. Makoto wished Miura had sat at the same table as her so that she would have someone to talk to and pass the time, but he was clearly very closed up, and the fact that he chose another table showed that he didn't want to be bothered. Well, that was to be expected. She had practically barged into his home very late at night, and was making him wait until she left to close the store. Of course he would be annoyed...

Fifteen minutes passed. Several times, Makoto caught herself staring at Miura and trying to detect changes in his facial expression, but there was none. She wondered what was on his mind right now. He was always so quiet, and nothing seemed to faze him. What kind of person was he, actually? His profile had said he had been detained before being transferred to Syujin, but that was the only information Makoto had access to. What had he done to be detained? Have he been always quiet like this, or was it a change that started along with his rehabilitation?

"The rain stopped." His voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Ah! ... Right." Makoto stood up. "I'll go now. Thank you for helping me."

"I'll escort you home." He also stood up and declared unexpectedly.

"What?" Makoto froze for a second. "No, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"It gets dangerous around this time." He insisted.

"I've taken martial art lessons." Makoto balled her fists. "I can defend myself just fine."

"Maybe. But numbers also make a difference." He argued.

In the end, she allowed Miura to escort her. Still, she felt bad for being such a bother to him.

* * *

Miura closed the store's front doors. They walked in a brisk pace as Makoto led the way to her home.

"Is it far from here?" He asked.

"No."

"Good. It's 11:35. Hopefully we'll get there before **midnight**."

"... Midnight?" A chill ran down Makoto's spine, and unwelcome thoughts rushed in her mind. She had heard a lot of scary rumors about that time of night. One of them said that sometimes the sky turned green and monsters roamed the streets. Another one said that Syujin High School was haunted, and transformed into another building. And midnight was also the time the Phantom Thieves ran loose. Worst of all, this last one was not a rumor. It had to be true, since the thieves were on the news. What if the rumor about the green night were true as well? ... No! Makoto had never believed those rumors. Why was she suddenly so scared now? Those rumors couldn't be true! ... But what about the one that wasn't a rumor? What if she were still on the street at midnight and the Phantom Thieves decided to target her? They seemed to be a group of around three or four. Even with her martial art skills, would she stand a chance? Like Miura had said, numbers make a difference. They were said to be very skilled and dangerous, especially their leader, Known as the Phantom. He was said to be lightning fast and... "Ah!" In her panic, Makoto tripped, but before she could fall, Miura quickly caught her and steadied her.

"What happened? You're trembling."

"I-it's n-nothing!" Her response was totally unconvincing. She resumed walking and did her best to focus on the street ahead, but the thoughts about the rumors still nagged at her. Makoto felt stupid. The always so confident Student Council President, scared of some silly rumors... and the question that inadvertently tumbled out of her mouth made her feel even more stupid. "Mi-midnight... you've heard the rumors, right? About the green night. About our school transforming. Do you think... they're true?"

Miura didn't respond. Makoto assumed that it was because her question was too stupid to warrant a response. Of course they weren't true.

"W-well, my home is just a few blocks away. We're almost there, hahaha!" Makoto laughed sheepishly and pressed forward.

Unfortunately for her, they couldn't advance much. Just as they were about to cross the street, they were greeted by the aftermath of an accident. A car crash had caused a commotion and blocked their path. They had to take another path, and this cost them precious minutes.

"Phew." Makoto exhaled in relief after a while. "Finally. My house is on the next block. What time is it?"

"It's..." Miura checked the time on his cellphone, and froze. "... Crap." He muttered under his breath.

"What's wrong?"

Just as Makoto turned behind to regard him, she felt a chill coursing through her body. The air became heavier, and the atmosphere suddenly changed. Makoto warily glanced around to take in her surroundings. The sky had turned into a weird shade of green. The moon seemed bigger and gave an eerie glow that made the surroundings look creepy. The street was deserted, and the only person nearby was the delinquent student right in front of her. So, the rumors about the green night... no, wait, more important than that, her situation definitely sounded wrong... a girl on a deserted street at midnight, face to face with a delinquent student, and with no one else around for her to call for help! Had he planned all of this? Was this the reason he had insisted to escort her so late at night, to take her to a deserted street and...!

"Y-you... you're conscious?" Miura was similarly perplexed. Until now, this was the most emotion he had shown while in Makoto's presence.

But Makoto's mind was too busy trying to think of an escape route, and she didn't notice the change in his expression. "Aaaaaah!" She was sure she couldn't escape from him, but her instincts made her turn around and run anyway.

"Hey!" Of course, he was quick enough to close the distance between them and hold her firmly in place.

Makoto stilled, paralyzed in fear. What was that delinquent student going to do to her!?

"Watch your step." He warned.

Unable to do anything to escape from his grip, Makoto could only drop her gaze to the ground. Then, right near her feet, she saw a pool that was supposed to contain water from the rain earlier. But instead, it contained a red liquid that looked like... blood. "Aaaaaaaaaah!" She screamed in horror.

"Shhh, don't shout!" A bit of panic tinged his voice. "You'll attract unwanted attention!"

It was clear that he didn't want anyone to find them. Yes, that was it. Makoto needed to shout and try to call for help. If someone appeared, maybe he would leave her alone. "Aaah! Somebody! Help!"

"I said not to shout!" He forcefully dragged her away from the pool of blood. Then, they heard some creepy wails in the distance. "See what you did? Now **they** 're coming after us."

Makoto began to regret having shouted. No matter how she thought about it, those wails couldn't be a sign that someone was coming to help. "Th-they? Who...?"

"The monsters."

Makoto gulped.

A few seconds passed and the sounds came closer, until a masked blob turned a corner and appeared in front of them. Makoto wanted to scream again, but remembered the warning not to, and her scream died in her throat.

Miura grumbled something about not using a mask and a Persona, which Makoto could make no sense of. Then, he turned to her. "Alright. Stay behind me."

In the blink of an eye, Miura had a knife in hand and was charging at the masked blob, seemingly with intent to kill. He circled the creature and thrust his knife into its mask.

If Makoto was scared of him before, she was terrified now. Miura was definitely dangerous. He moved fast... and he was armed! No, worse than that. He had been armed the whole time they had interacted. He could easily subdue her in no time, and not even her martial artist reflexes would be able to save her!

In the time she took to think that, Miura had sliced at the monster a few times, and the creature had dissolved into a black ooze on the ground. Some of the ooze also stained Miura's knife and clothes, but also vanished soon after as though nothing had happened. However, it wasn't over yet. The duo still could hear wails approaching them.

"Argh. More are coming." Miura warned.

An identical blob appeared from the same corner, along with two other creatures that looked like hands.

"Another Merciless Maya, and Magic Hands... they're low-level, but it might be hard to handle three of them at once." Miura muttered to himself, then addressed Makoto. "It'll be fine. Just do as I say."

Makoto wanted to yell at him. How dare he order the Student Council President around like that!? ... But she was so scared that she found herself just nodding to him.

"Those hands are weak to fire. Use this." He threw a small object towards her.

Makoto scrambled to catch the object. It looked like a gemstone of some sort, and she stared confusedly at it. "... Use it? How?"

"Throw it."

The monsters suddenly charged towards them. Makoto thought she was doomed. Throwing that gem wouldn't even make a scratch on those things! But since it was the only thing she could do at the moment, she threw it anyway. What was her surprise when the gem impacted with the target, and exploded into vicious flames that consumed the creature. At her side, Miura had also thrown a gem at the other hand monster, and the results were the same. When the flames had subsided, the hand monsters were gone. Makoto had a hard time believing what had just transpired right before her eyes.

"Is this your first time?" Miura asked her.

"... Huh?" Makoto took a step back. Miura's question definitely sounded wrong.

"Is this the first time you've seen this weird atmosphere?" Miura rephrased his question.

"Uh, ah, y-yes." She answered awkwardly.

"Now you have your answer, then."

"Answer...?"

"You had asked about the rumors." He clarified.

"Ah, yes, I had..."

However, their problems weren't over. While they were distracted by the hand creatures, the blob monster had snuck past them. Since Miura and Makoto didn't see it after the hands were defeated, they completely forgot that another monster still remained. When they realized it, the blob creature was coming to attack Makoto from behind.

Miura gasped. "Behind you!"

Makoto turned behind just in time to see the monster charging towards her. "Yaaaaaaaa!" She reflexively released a punch that fully connected with the monster's mask. To her surprise, this actually sent the blob creature flying into a wall, where it exploded into black ooze and vanished afterwards.

It took a few seconds until the situation finally sank in and Makoto realized she had defeated the monster herself. She let out a deep sigh of relief and put a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart.

"That was quite the punch. Maybe you didn't need escorting, after all..." Miura was standing next to her, with a hint of mild surprise showing on his face. It was the first expression change Makoto had seen him display. "I don't hear more disturbing wails. Hopefully they'll leave us alone for today. Let's get out of here." Miura beckoned Makoto to follow him and they resumed their walk toward her house.

"Um, Miura, thank you for protecting me." And her brain finally began to work at full-speed again. "... But I don't approve of your behavior, okay? You might have saved me, but don't think I'll let you off the hook if I confirm that you've been bringing knives and those... explosives to school! You have been warned!"

"Those aren't explosives." He let out a small snicker, but then his calm demeanor returned. "That was an Agi Gem."

Makoto gritted her teeth. It was frustrating how her Council President authority didn't seem to have any effect on him. Anyway, the item's name didn't mean anything to her, and didn't change the fact that those gemstones were dangerous. "It doesn't matter what they are! If I ever catch you injuring people with a knife, or those... artifacts, I'll... I'll..." She gesticulated nervously, unable to find a proper punishment to threaten him with.

"Don't worry about it." He seemed to completely disregard her warning. "Those gems only work during this weird hour. And I wouldn't use a knife against people. I can't promise I won't get in trouble, though. There are a lot of troublemakers at our school, and many times fights can't be avoided."

Miura seemed to be talking honestly, but Makoto knew she shouldn't buy into his talk so easily. She should keep an eye on him.

"Ah!" Makoto suddenly gasped when she saw a coffin standing on the street in the distance. "Wh-what... is that?!"

"A person." Miura answered.

Makoto shuddered. "Is... is it... don't tell me those monsters attacked it and..."

"It's alive." Miura saved her from having to finish her sentence. "Most people become like that during this weird hour."

Makoto exhaled in relief, for more than one reason. She pointed at a house. "Alright. This is my house." She turned to face him fully. "But before I go, I demand an explanation. You seem to know a lot about this strange atmosphere."

Miura looked around, alert to any signs of other monsters that might attack them. Seemingly satisfied that there was none, he looked straight at her. "Alright. You deserve a proper explanation. This is a hidden hour between one day and the next. We've been calling it the 'Dark Hour.' Every day at midnight, this hour happens. But to most people, time stops. A coffin encases them, and they become unconscious inside it until the hour ends and everything goes back to normal. Those monsters only appear during this hour. From what I've heard, they're born from humans' negative thoughts, and they prey on the few people that are not inside of coffins, like us."

"So, this is why they attacked us..."

"People like us that can resist the Dark Hour's effects are the only ones that can fight those monsters."

"Only people like us... but why me? And why today?"

"No idea. But if you've managed to stay conscious during this hour, it means that you've awakened to your **potential**."

That didn't explain much to her. "My... potential? Potential for what?"

"The potential to resist this hour's effects and fight those monsters. The potential to discover our other selves and change our hearts... and to change other people's."

That still didn't explain much. But something else struck her, and she threw his vague explanation to the back of her mind for the moment. "Wait. Did you know I was going to stay conscious this time? Was this why you decided to escort me?"

Miura shook his head. "No, I didn't know. I hoped I'd be able to get you home safely before midnight. I was surprised when Dark Hour struck and you were standing there normally."

Makoto nodded. Either way, she was glad she didn't have to endure that night's craziness all by herself. "I still don't understand much of your explanation, and that 'potential' thing, though."

"This is normal. It's too much to take in at once. But you'll understand soon enough. Once you've started experiencing the Dark Hour, there's no turning back..." A sad expression flickered on Miura's face for a split second. "from now on, you'll have to live through it **every day**."

Makoto shuddered. This night had been horrible. She had been finding it hard to endure that weirdness for a single hour. Meanwhile, he had been dealing with that nightmarish situation every day. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Since when you've been forced to stay awake during this twisted hour?" She asked.

"Since the day I arrived in Tokyo. From the time my rehabilitation began, things have been becoming weirder by the day."

The mention of his rehabilitation made her recall the question she had been wondering about, but was a bit afraid to actually ask. "Speaking of your rehabilitation, "your profile says you were detained before transferring to Syujin. Um... why? What did you do?"

He sighed. "Basically, I intervened in a crime scene. I saw a guy... harassing a woman. I couldn't stand seeing that, and tried to save her."

Makoto was surprised. One part of her thought his act was admirable. He intervened in a crime scene and helped the victim. If he were indeed telling her the truth, maybe he wasn't that bad of a person. However, the other part of her disapproved of what he did, and she entered "Council President mode" once again. "It was nice of you to help the victim, but you should have approached the situation in a different way! You should have called the police or something, instead of trying to handle it yourself!"

"Yeah, in the heat of the moment, my body moved before my brain." He sounded as though he regretted what he did. "I'd always been like that, and it already got me into a lot of trouble. But this time the consequences were the worst ever. I was detained. I was sent to rehabilitation, both in school and also another place, where I got assigned to some weird correctional officers. They put me through some unsettling experiences and they told me I'll only be freed if I find a way to change my heart, and to change the hearts of others. This is why I'm trying to change, and now I'm doing my best to think before I act."

That part about those correctional officers was odd. Miura said they put him through unsettling experiences. Since so little seemed to faze him, Makoto decided she didn't want to know what his correctional officers did to unsettle him so much. But whatever he had meant by "changing his heart," it seemed to have worked, if he were indeed telling her the truth about himself. He seemed to be set on trying to change for better. Makoto's expression softened, and she smiled. "Glad to hear that rehabilitation seems to be doing you good. I can tell that you're very dedicated, and am sure you can overcome these obstacles."

They fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

"Uh, I'll enter my house now." Makoto broke the silence. "Miura, good night, and... um, thank you."

"I'm glad that nothing bad happened. Good night to you too, Ms. President."

For some reason, it sounded odd to hear him address her by her title right after that personal talk. "Niijima. Niijima is fine." She felt she shouldn't open up to other students too much, but when she realized it, that statement had already left her mouth, and she couldn't take it back. At least she had asked him to call her by her surname, and not by her first name.

He nodded, and didn't skip a beat. "Alright. Good night, Niijima-san." And it actually didn't sound that bad...

Only after Makoto had entered her house and closed the door, she realized how exhausted she was. It had been her most hectic day ever, and to top it all of, it had been longer than 24 hours. She was so tired that she didn't even bother changing out of her uniform to go to sleep. However, upon entering her bedroom, she made sure to check whether there were no monsters under her bed. That idea sounded outright stupid, but after everything that happened that day, better to be safe than sorry...

* * *

The following morning, Makoto awoke, took a shower, dropped by the nearest bakery for a quick breakfast, and went to school.

The day passed. Everything happened so normally that Makoto wondered whether the sheer craziness from last night had been nothing but a dream. Miura was quiet and impassive, just like she had always seen him at school. He had passed her, but he barely acknowledged her. It was as though their interactions from last night had never happened, and this added to her "dream" theory.

However, she had trouble sleeping that night. When midnight came, she was still awake. And sure enough, it was Dark Hour. It hadn't been a dream...

This time, Makoto had no one to help her. She stayed still under the blankets, worried that the monsters might invade her house and come after her. She was unable to fall asleep, and stayed awake during the whole Dark Hour.

The following day, Makoto heard rumors at school, and found out that the Phantom Thieves had struck again last night. This time, they had invaded a rich businessman's residence. The strange thing was, the place was turned upside down, but nothing of value seemed to have been taken. After hearing everyone talking about it, Makoto couldn't help but think about the subject and go over everything she knew about those thieves. The incidents involving the Phantom Thieves were very peculiar. The group always made their move at midnight, and acted really fast. In a matter of minutes, the targeted places became a mess as though they had been ransacked. And the strangest thing of all. No one really knew what those thieves were after. Did they want something valuable? Or, were they just vandalizing the places for the sake of being rebellious? Rumors said they were trying to steal people's hearts, but that made absolutely no sense at all.

However, there was one thing that made perfect sense now. Makoto was pretty sure she was beginning to understand some of their methods. The Phantom Thieves must have been using the Dark Hour to execute their heists. Since time stopped for most people during that hour, the thieves could move freely with almost no one noticing. The general public would only notice the damage once the Dark Hour ended and the normal flow of time resumed for them. This meant that catching the thieves in the act was practically impossible, unless the people trying to catch them were also able to operate during the Dark Hour and had the so called "potential." Makoto was angered at the Phantom Thieves now. They couldn't keep running around and causing property damage everywhere as though they owned the city! That was definitely wrong, and had to stop. Makoto hoped someone with the "potential" would realize it and move to put those outlaws in their places.

After school, Makoto decided to buy something to eat and go back home. When she realized it, her legs had carried her to Cafe Leblanc again. Well, another one of their sandwiches would do.

When she entered the store, the TV was on, and some very strange news caught her attention. The businessman whose residence had been targeted by the Phantom Thieves last night had turned himself in to the police and confessed having become rich by illegal means.

This news made Makoto recall some similarly strange occurrences. Some of the well-known people in the vicinity had suddenly begun behaving very differently from the way they used to. People that had been harsh began treating others better. People known to be bad-tempered seemed much calmer now. It was as though they had had a huge **change of heart**. Come to think of it, all of those people had some relation to the places the Phantom Thieves had invaded. And the thought of "changes of heart" made her recall something else.

"... they told me I'll only be freed if I find a way to change my heart, and to change the hearts of others," was what Miura had said. Makoto recalled what he told her about his past, and wondered whether he had also been one of those people that changed drastically. Could those strange occurrences be related in some way, or were they just a coincidence?

"Hmm, looks like we have a loyal customer..." The voice from her thoughts manifested itself in the real world and startled her.

"Ah!" Makoto gasped. "Oh, Miura, good afternoon." She sized him up, and soon her stare turned into a glare when she noticed a bandage on his arm. "How did you get that?" She pointed accusingly at his arm. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, huh?"

He held her glare with no problem. "Did you come here, to my home, just to lecture me, Niijima-san?"

His calm demeanor as well as his use of her surname took her aback a little, but she did her best to keep her cool. "Err, no. But! What's up with that bandage? It wasn't in school, was it?!"

"Well, sort of."

Makoto narrowed her eyes at him. "Miura...!"

He interrupted her. "One of those monsters. Midnight, in our school. Or rather, the place that was supposed to be our school..."

"What?" That statement caught Makoto of guard, and she believed it without a second thought. "Do you mean our school really transforms at midnight?!"

"Yeah. And it gets infested with monsters. I'm pretty sure that those monsters that attacked us the other day also came from there. The Dark Hour, and our school... or the place it turns into... I think they're related."

Makoto was horrified to think that the school became full of those dangerous creatures during the Dark Hour.

She remained silent for a few seconds, with a lot of things buzzing in her mind at once. Then, she spoke up. "Um, I've been wondering about the rumors... the one about the green night is true. The one about the school transforming is also true..." A short pause. "I've heard this one saying that the Phantom Thieves are actually students from Syujin. Do you think... it's true, too?"

Miura took a while to respond. When he did, one would be able to notice a hint of a smirk if paying attention closely. "... I've heard one that's even worse. It says that the Student Council President is one of their members."

"Wh-what!?" Makoto's eyes widened in shock. "That's outright absurd! They are criminals! They cause property damage and steal things and... who knows what else! I-I would **never**...!"

"Pfff..." Miura tried to stifle a laugh, but wasn't successful. "Hahahahahahahaha!"

Makoto was lost between being surprised to see him actually laugh, or getting angry at him for cracking such a tasteless joke. "Y-you're only messing with me, a-aren't you? You're making this up!" She accused him. But he only continued laughing, and Makoto lost her temper. "Enough! Stop laughing and go back to work! Go get me a breaded cutlet sandwich, and I might consider forgiving you."

"O-okay. Fine, f-fine!" He scampered out of Makoto's sight, still trying to suppress his laughter.

Makoto sat down at a table and went back to thinking about the Phantom Thieves. To think that they had struck last night, right during the Dark Hour she had stayed awake doing nothing! ... And an idea struck her. As much as she would have preferred the police to handle them, chances of someone with the "potential" being in the police seemed slim, otherwise the police would have acted by now. Makoto was one of the very few people who had the said "potential," wasn't she? Then, rather than waiting for someone with the "potential" to go after them, she should become this someone and do it herself. It was a very dangerous idea, perhaps even worse than the one that had gotten Miura detained, but her sense of justice spoke louder. If the rumors turned out to be true and the Phantom Thieves were really students from Syujin, then it was her duty as the Student Council President to enforce discipline into those immature heads of theirs. The thought of facing the Dark Hour's dangers was scary, but she was a determined person, and those fears wouldn't stop her! She would train hard and go back into shape at martial arts. Once she became strong enough to fight those monsters confidently, she would try to tail the Phantom Thieves. Did they think they were smart and could do whatever they wanted, and that no one would ever catch them? Did they think they were the only ones with the "potential?" Makoto didn't understand what that "potential" was all about yet, but she would find out. Then, she would outsmart them and bring them to justice. Just they wait!

Little she knew that, in the near future, Miura's joke would eventually come true, and she would really become one of them.

* * *

A/n: this story was kind of random, but it was fun to write.

Poor Makoto in the beginning, with everything going wrong for her :P . The MC seemed to be testing the waters, and didn't want to reveal his Phantom Thief mask and his Persona just yet. But from his "joke," he already expects that she'll end up joining them, since they are the only few people with the potential and that she can count on during the Dark Hour. She doesn't have much choice. It's only a matter of time... and of a lot of convincing.

I'm thinking if I should write a sequel to this story. But anything I might write would take place before Makoto joins the group, because I want to know how she joins in the actual game. I was thinking something like Makoto trying to tail the Phantom Thieves. But first, I want to know more about how the canon P5 Persona-related stuff works, as well as other things like how the party plans their heists, and details about the cellphone app they use, the internet chat program and such.

Edit (2016/06/23): ideas for a sequel keep appearing in my head...! But I'm still unsure if I should make it another oneshot or if I should turn "Midnight Rumors" into a multi-chapter fic (and possibly change the title as a consequence). Suggestions are welcome!

So, that's it for now. Thank you for reading!

Edit (2016/08/03): more official info came out, and I edited the fic to correct some stuff. Namely, the cafe's name (it's Cafe Leblanc), and the protagonist's class (the character page for his homeroom teacher came out, and it says his class is 2-B, not 2-D like we had initially thought).

Edit (2016/09/11): and now the page says 2-D again. Go figure XD . So, changed it back.

... And the sequel is here! After much internal debate, I decided to make it a separate multi-chaptered fic. It's called "The Queen's Plan" (s/12083655). It'll have Makoto going after the Phantom Thieves and trying to figure their identities out (and falling for the Phantom in the process, not realizing that he's actually Miura :P ).


End file.
